Chapter 649
After the Dark Emperor, which had been filled with chaos and controversy, finally came to an end, a refreshing daily life returned once again.
The professors, fresh from their vacations, wasted no time in bombarding their students with assignments, pushing the pace of classes with ruthless intensity.
Students, who had thought they could finally catch their breath after the Dark Emperor, now had to cling desperately to their sanity in the face of workloads far harsher than any festival.
The professors of the Summonology Department were especially fired up. Though they were proud that their department had secured second place in the Dark Emperor, their pride only ignited a new fire under their students’ workloads.
One such professor was Grerion, who taught Summon Materials Science.
“Begin!”
Rumbleeeee!
It was in Grerion’s cave, the same place Simon had once used as the “Ever Kire Countermeasure Team” hideout.
But today, it was filled with Summonology students running about in groups, rushing like bargain-hunters at a discount store, each trying to secure materials before anyone else.
From Simon’s Team 10, Lorraine and Toto were at the front.
“Ready, Eshu?”
Simon asked as he slipped on his work gloves.
“Leave it to me! President—no, Captain!”
Eshu, acting as assistant, threw her arm up with enthusiasm. Around her, the dolls imitated the gesture, raising their tiny hands in unison.
This Summon Materials Science performance test was: “Make a Skeleton Chimera.”
The materials? Skeletons that had undergone Bleach Treatment.
This “Bleach Treatment” was a special Chimera-crafting technique. By soaking undead bones in the special solution secreted by a monster called Bleach Worker, the bones would turn pale sky-blue.
The bones weakened in durability, but gained compatibility—allowing them to be joined with bones of entirely different skeleton types without severe side effects.
For example, one could attach the wing bones of a flying monster to the body of a land-based monster, and the result would still move fluidly as one. Normally, such combinations would be impossible, but a Skeleton Chimera made with Bleach-Treated bones made it feasible.
“Remember! You must attach at least two different types of undead bones!”
Grerion shouted as he walked among the students. His bulked-up frame suggested that he had spent his entire vacation exercising.
“Recall the formulas you’ve learned! Think of the combinations of skeletons that will produce the strongest synergy!”
“Yes, sir!”
On the supply shelves waited all kinds of Bleach-Treated bones.
From common monsters like Orcs, Ratmen, and Gnolls, to aerial monsters such as Harpies, and even aquatic monsters adapted to the sea.
Students were free to select whichever they wished.
Simon’s Team 10 had already decided, after much discussion, what kind of Chimera they would build.
“Simon! Catch!”
Loraine shouted as she threw over a massive chunk of bone. Simon caught it safely and laid it on the work table.
The most basic step began.
Simon picked up a carving knife.
Bones soaked long in the Bleach Solution were too heavy to use directly in making an undead.
The thick residue clinging to the bones needed to be shaved off first.
Scrape—scrape—
The same sound rang from all around as every team, including Simon and Eshu, began the same task.
It was the most tedious and time-consuming stage.
“Eshu, especially shave the joints as thin as possible. Just until the white layer of bone is faintly visible.”
“Okay!”
Simon delegated the work to his assistant and moved on to assembly.
Clack! Clack!
His hands moved swiftly, aligning bones together like stacking a tower. Sometimes, dissatisfied, he would scatter them apart and reconstruct the spine line from scratch.
Eshu’s eyes widened as she watched.
‘Wow, his skeleton assembly is insane.’
Simon wasn’t even looking at blueprints. Purely from knowledge and instinct, he fitted the bones together flawlessly.
“Good.”
In one go, Simon completed the torso and turned his head.
“Eshu, the Black Conduit?”
“Right here!”
Eshu dispatched dolls carrying the thick black tube. Working together, they heaved it onto the table.
Simon threaded the conduit through the skeleton, like wiring inside a machine. This conduit would channel Darkness through the structure, delivering it to each joint.
He secured it firmly, then carefully infused Darkness into the joints, synchronizing the connections. The upper body was nearly done.
“Simon! Is this base okay?”
Toto and Loraine returned, setting up the magic circle. Simon examined the configuration they had drawn and nodded with admiration.
“You two did great. Keep it going.”
“Mm!”
Especially Toto, who showed remarkable talent in Chimera work.
Unlike other undead, Chimera summoning wasn’t rigid but allowed for creative variation, something Toto seemed to thrive on.
Piece by piece, their Chimera took shape.
Until—
“S-Sorry, guys!”
Trouble struck.
Eshu’s dolls, carrying Bleach-Treated bones, collided with other rushing students and dropped them.
“The hind leg bone cracked.”
Such bones were extremely fragile until fully dried.
“Simon! There’s no more stock!”
Toto checked the supply line and confirmed they were out of spares.
‘We’ll have to make do with this.’
Simon studied the damaged piece, deep in thought.
“At least it’s just the hind leg. We’ll change the direction.”
“H-How?”
“We’ll increase the Scorpion’s portion.”
Team 10 had planned to merge bones from Scorpion and Bleto.
Bleto was a four-legged monster that hunted prey from underground.
It was fast but had weak fangs and claws.
Scorpion, on the other hand, wielded a long, deadly tail but was sluggish.
Their idea: merge Bleto’s body with Scorpion’s tail to cover each other’s weaknesses.
But with the hind leg bones broken, they had to abandon speed.
“So instead… we’ll reinforce another strength.”
* * *
When all teams finished, evaluations began.
Top marks went to Aseraz’s Team 8, who had attached Darkness feathers to wing bones for high-speed flight.
And to the top Chimera maker among 2nd-years of Keyzen, Fitzgerald’s Team 11, who fused four types of undead. Grerion nodded in satisfaction after checking their reports.
Finally, Simon’s Team 10 waited nervously as their turn approached.
“Ugh, this is annoying!”
A female student plucked a stalk of wheat off her thigh.
“How is wheat growing inside a cave?”
Simon’s face stiffened.
Sure enough, assistants in the distance were sighing as they hacked endlessly at wheat stalks with sickles.
“No matter how much we cut, it won’t end.”
“I already asked Professor Belya for herbicide. Hopefully spraying it helps.”
Simon silently apologized in his heart.
“Next team. Step forward.”
At last, it was Team 10’s turn. Simon and Loraine stepped up, followed by Toto and Eshu.
“We’ll begin our presentation.”
Simon said.
“We created a Chimera using Scorpion and Bleto.”
Students craned their necks. A flat-bodied, four-legged monster stood on the ground.
Two-thirds of its upper body was Scorpion, while its head and front legs were Bleto. With two Scorpion tails attached, its tail was absurdly long, but its mobility clearly looked compromised.
Grerion spoke.
“Your proposal said Bleto’s body with Scorpion’s tail. Why the change?”
Normally, this was where a team would cleverly spin the Scorpion’s strengths to justify the design.
But Simon answered honestly.
“There was a mishap during assembly.”
He continued firmly.
“The hind leg bone was damaged, so we had to abandon speed as an option. However—”
Simon extended his hand toward their Chimera.
“Because of that, we believe we created an even better result.”
Grerion stroked his chin. This time, the head teaching assistant spoke.
“Student Simon. To call this a better result seems doubtful, since its mobility is clearly inferior. I’d argue that a Chimera composed solely of Scorpion would perform far better than this hybrid with Bleto.”
Other students nodded in agreement. Simon, however, simply smiled.
“Then instead of words, I’ll show you.”
Grerion’s cave already had various test arenas set up—such as tanks for aquatic undead and sand pits for desert-types.
Simon moved their Chimera to the sandy floor set and gave a mental command.
“Hide.”
Ssshhhhh—!
The Chimera immediately dug into the sand with its front claws. In a flash, its whole body vanished underground.
“Consider this a target.”
Loraine set down a bull’s-eye on the ground. Instantly—SWAACK!—the tailbone shot up from below, piercing the center of the target clean through.
“Ooooh!”
Gasps and murmurs of admiration erupted across the cave.
Watching the long tail whip beneath the sand, Grerion stroked his chin and smiled.
“As expected—you’ve reoriented the concept toward an ambush-type summon.”
Next, Loraine tossed a ball into the air. The tailbone lashed upward and struck it with perfect accuracy. Both its power and speed were impressive.
At that moment, Aseraz raised her hand and stepped forward.
“I have a question for Team 10.”
In Keyzen, open debates and questions between students during evaluations were encouraged.
“Scorpion alone is more than sufficient to wield the tail. I don’t understand why you bothered mixing Bleto at all. Was Bleto only added so it could dig with its front legs? Or perhaps merely to satisfy the assignment’s requirement of combining at least two types of undead?”
The question was dripping with hostility, an intentional attempt to undermine Simon.
Eshu, anger flaring, tried to step forward, but Simon held her back and answered coolly.
“Questioner.”
“Yes?”
“Your understanding of the materials is lacking.”
“Oooh~!”
Students whistled and jeered with excitement, while Aseraz’s eyebrow twitched.
“Do you know Scorpion’s hunting method?”
“What does that have to do with undead Chimera craft—”
“Scorpion’s tail is covered in a tough exoskeleton. Its primary prey, small desert monsters, can be killed simply by being struck with it. And above all—”
Simon let Darkness flow at his fingertips, dangling it like drops of liquid.
“Living Scorpions carry venom. Their hunting method is to inflict small wounds to apply poison, or bludgeon weaker monsters into submission. But once undead? All that’s left is bone. No poison. No muscular strength. The living Scorpion’s hunting methods no longer apply.”
Aseraz had made the mistake of assuming an undead hunts the same way it did when alive.
Seizing the momentum, Simon stepped forward.
“Thus, we used Bleto’s skull—and its will. In life, Bleto could only succeed by striking prey with the thorn at the end of its tail, piercing precisely through the nape. That sense remains. So when given a long tail, it thrives—like a fish returned to water—piercing targets with unerring accuracy.”
The students turned toward Grerion.
He nodded.
“Simon is correct. An undead’s hunting instincts are strongly influenced by those of its living body.”
With Grerion’s endorsement, Aseraz bit her lip in frustration and retreated.
Other questions followed, but Team 10 deflected them all with ease.
“Enough.”
Grerion rose to his feet.
“This undead stands out for its practicality! But above all, what impressed me most—”
He swept his gaze across the students.
“—was that you admitted your mistake honestly.”
The hall fell silent.
“Necromancers carry an obsession with perfection. If you make a mistake with a magic circle, it may explode and cause accidents. If you misplace a bone in summoning, the result is distorted. Professors, too, are strict about errors. However!”
His voice boomed.
“When it comes to Chimera creation, it’s different. Make mistakes. Make more mistakes! Leave out the powder from a cake, and you may invent the world’s most famous dessert. Misplay a few notes in music, and you might create something even greater. These stories are well-known!”
He swung his heavy arm in emphasis.
“Mistakes are not wrong—they are crossroads to new paths! Do not despair, embrace them with a smile!”
“Yes, Professor!”
He turned toward the rows of students.
“Now, assemble! I will announce the scores!”
The students quickly lined up. Aseraz glared daggers at Simon from the side.
“You got me this time. But what about the results?”
Simon responded with a gentle smile.
“Your Harpy Chimera was incredible, I admit.”
“…You sound far too confident.”
Just then, Grerion lifted the report folder.
“Now, I will announce the team with the highest score!”
* * *
At the same time, in Neftis’ office—
“Ughh! The Duke is ignoring my calls again today!”
Neftis flailed her short legs angrily from her chair.
“So mean! So cruel!”
Vice-chancellor Jane, long accustomed to her superior’s tantrums, calmly set down a stack of documents on the desk.
“By Duke, you mean the commander of the 2nd Legion, correct?”
“Yep!”
“The Duke governs the northern region of Carlos, yes? A land of perpetual blizzards—hardly ideal for crystal-orb communication. I believe you should be more understanding.”
“No, no!”
Neftis pouted furiously.
“He’s ignoring me on purpose! It’s not like I asked for anything difficult!”
Jane sighed.
“That explains it, then. I may not know what request you made, but…”
“I’ve adored him since he was this small!”
Neftis squeaked, pinching the air with her fingers.
“He likely doesn’t even remember such distant childhood things.”
Slump—
Neftis flopped onto her desk, cheeks puffed out in indignation.
“Fine. So that’s how he wants to play it? Then I’ll show him!”
Jane shook her head.
“I only hope you don’t end up turning another Legion Commander into an enemy, on top of Magnus.”
“Enemy? Hardly!”
With renewed vigor, Neftis snatched up her quill and began scribbling furiously.
“If that’s how it is, I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse!”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters